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Estimation of productivity and markups with price dispersion: Evidence from Chinese manufacturing during economic transition

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  • Shunan Zhao
  • Bing Qian
  • Subal C. Kumbhakar

Abstract

We estimate firm productivity and markups in the presence of heterogeneous output and input prices. We assume that firms are monopolistically competitive in the output market and that state firms are favored and pay lower prices for inputs due to political connections. The proxy‐variable (or called the control‐function‐based) approach of structurally identifying production functions and productivity is customized to our new setting. Our approach solves the underidentification problem inherent in the standard proxy‐variable method. We investigate the Chinese transportation equipment industry and find evidence against perfect competition and price homogeneity. We also find that productivity and markup differentials and dynamics are consistent with the market‐oriented reforms in China.

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  • Shunan Zhao & Bing Qian & Subal C. Kumbhakar, 2020. "Estimation of productivity and markups with price dispersion: Evidence from Chinese manufacturing during economic transition," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 87(2), pages 666-699, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:soecon:v:87:y:2020:i:2:p:666-699
    DOI: 10.1002/soej.12457
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Mike G. Tsionas & Subal C. Kumbhakar, 2023. "Proxy variable estimation of productivity and efficiency," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 89(3), pages 885-923, January.
    2. Emir Malikov & Shunan Zhao & Jingfang Zhang, 2024. "A System Approach to Structural Identification of Production Functions with Multi-Dimensional Productivity," Advances in Econometrics, in: Essays in Honor of Subal Kumbhakar, volume 46, pages 211-263, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    3. Huang, Minjie & Zhao, Shunan & Kumbhakar, Subal C., 2022. "Decomposition of Output, Productivity and Market Structure Changes," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 303(1), pages 422-437.
    4. Minjie Huang & Shunan Zhao & Andreas Pape, 2023. "Estimating Case‐based Individual and Social Learning in Corporate Tax Avoidance," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 85(2), pages 403-434, April.
    5. Fei Jia & Minjie Huang & Shunan Zhao, 2024. "Estimation of endogenous firm productivity without instruments: an application to foreign investment," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 61(2), pages 135-155, April.
    6. Emir Malikov & Jingfang Zhang & Shunan Zhao & Subal C. Kumbhakar, 2023. "Accounting for Cross-Location Technological Heterogeneity in the Measurement of Operations Efficiency and Productivity," Papers 2302.13430, arXiv.org.

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